Organ.



F. J. FLAHBRTY.

ORGAN.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1912.

Patented July 21, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. J. FLAHERTY.

ORGAN.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1912.

1,104,648, Q Patented July 21, 191 i 2 SHEETS'SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEErcE.

FREDERICK J. FLAHERTY, OF WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

ORGAN.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, -FREDERIGK J. FLA- HERTY, a citizen of the United States, residing at lValtham, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Organs, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in organs and more especially to the pipe valve mechanism for organ windchests, and the primary object of the invention is to provide an improved construction for this portion of the organ whereby the construction of the parts is facilitated, the

- construction is simplified, all unnecessary borings and long and indirect windways are avoided, the organ builder is enabled to make the parts in advance and assemble them readily according to the different number of parts to be used, and all parts which have been heretofore separated and inaccessible are brought together into one simple, direct, easily constructed and accessible unit.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the motor which operates the valve for each pipe has a pair of passages leading therefrom and a single valve is arranged to operate freely between and to close one or another of said passages under the control of the stop and the respective key action, providing a very simple construction which is positivein action.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements, and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the speci fication.

In the accompanying drawing:.Figure 1 represents a cross section through a portion of a wind-chest constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section of the windchest on the line 22 of Fig. 4; Fig; 3 is a section taken in the same plane with Fig. 1 andshowing a slightly modified arrangement for the wind channels in the top of the wind-chest; Fig. 4: represents a horizontal section of the wind-chest on the line 4:-4t of Figs. 1 and 3; and Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged detail views of one of the valve-actuating motor units.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters 1n the several views.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 18, 1912.

Patented July 21, 1914.

Serial No. 698,259.

The present invention is applicable generally to organs of various types and especially to pipe organs, the general construction and operation of which is well known and it is therefore considered unnecessary to describe the same here. I

The accompanying drawing shows the preferred embodiment of the invention and such embodiment of the invention will be hereinafter described in detail, but it will be understood that the. invention is not limited to the precise construction shown, as modifications and changes may be made therein in order to enable the invention to be ap plied to the best advantage according to the circumstances of each particular case.

In the present instance, the wind-chest embodies a top section 1, a bottom section 2, and a marginal or surrounding wall 3, which parts close the wind-chest to form the chamher 4 which is supplied in the usual or any suitable way with wind at appropriate pressure. The top of the wind-chest is formed with a suitable number of longitudinally extending channels 5 which are preferably arranged in parallelism and correspond in number to the number of stops which are to operate in connection with the key action, and the top of the windchest is also formed with a plurality of transversely extending channels 6 which correspond in number to the number of keys. The organ pipes 7 comprising the stop section thereof are preferably fitted to the top of the wind-chest and communicate respectively with passages S, the lower ends of which are adapted to communicate with the chamber a of the windchest under the control of pipe valves which will be hereinafter described.

Each organ pipe 7 is provided with a valve which is controlled by the stop action and the respective key action, the present invention providing a valve of improved construction whereby the building of this part of the organ is greatly facilitated and cheapened, and certainty in action and economy in air are effected, these valves in the present embodiment of the invention being constructed as individual units which are capable of being assembled readily in the wind-chest and according to the number of pipes to be used. Each of these valve mechanisms comprise in the present instance a body 9 which is provided with a kerf or slot 10 which may be readily cut therein, this slot forming a passage which communicates with the chamber 11 of the valve motor which latter may be of different construction. The motor in the present instance is of the diaphragm type, it embodying a diaphragm 12, the peripheral edge of which is secured to the edge of the body 9 which surrounds the chamber 11, a disk or head 13 bearing on the under side of the diaphragm and is attached to the valve stem 14, and a spring 15 contained in the chamber 11 bears on the disk or head 13 and tends to expand or force upwardly the diaphragm 12 and to cause the valve 16 to seat and close the lower end of the respective passage 8 leading to the corresponding pipe 7, thus cutting off air or wind from the chamber 4 of the Wind-chest to the pipe. An arm 17 is fixed to the body 9 and serves as a guide for the valve stem 14. The body 9 is also formed wit-h a. pair of passages 18 and 19, these passages having opposed ports 20 and 21 respectively which communicate with the slot or passage 10 which separates them. The passages 18 and 19 communicate respectively with the transverse channels 6 and the longitudinal channels 5 in the top of the wind-chest as shown clearly in Fig. 2. The construction of the valve mechanisms and the assembling thereof in the wind-chest is greatly simplified and cheapened by boring the different passages of the body 9 and boring passages 22 and 23 in the top of the wind-chest so as to register with the passages 18 and 19 of the body 9 and to establish communication between such passages and the channels 6 and 5 respectively in the top of the wind-chest. According to the present invention, a valve is provided which is capable of cutting off communication be tween either of the passages 18 and 19 and the chamber 11 of the valve motor, or in other words, this valve is capable of closing either of the ports 20 or 21. In the preferred. form, a valve is employed in the form of a flap 24 of leather or other flexible material, one end of the flap being cemented, glued, or otherwise fixed to one wall of the slot 10, while the remainder of the flap is freely movable laterally and is capable of readily closing the port 20 when moved in one direction, and the port 21 when moved in an opposite direction, this valve being doubleacting.

The valve for each pipe is controlled in its operation by the stop action and the respective key action, and the following construction is provided by the present invention for accomplishing this result. Each longitudi nal channel 5 in the upper portion of the wind-chest which corresponds to the different pipes in that particular row communicates preferably at one end with ports 25 and 26, the port 25 serving as a vent to the atmosphere, while the port 26 communicates with the chamber 4 of the wind-chest. A

double-acting valve is provided for controlling the ports 25 and 26 in such a manner as to close one of the ports and to open the other. This valve in the present instance embodies a pair of heads 27 and 28 connected to a common valve stem 29 whereby these valve heads will operate in unison, the valve head 27 serving to open and close the vent port 25 while the valve head 28 serves to open and close the port 26 which communicates with the interior of the wind-chest. A motor similar in construction to that used for actuating the pipe valves may be used for operating the valve stem 29, the motor shown comprising a flexible diaphragm 30 which is secured to a chamber body 31 and closes the top of an air chamber 32, a spring 33 contained in the chamber 32 serving to normally press the diaphragm and the valve stem 29 upwardly. The body 31 is formed with a slot or passage 34 which communicates with the chamber 32 thereof, and this slot or passage 3-1 communicates with a conduit which is adapted to receive air from the respective stop action. 7

The bottom of the chamber 32 and the edge of the slot or passage 34 are covered by a wall 36 which may be conveniently formed of a strip of tough paper cemented or glued to the exterior of the body 31. The slot or passage 10 and the chamber 11 of each body 9 may also be similarly closed by a strip of tough paper or other suitable material 37 glued 01' cemented to the back and bottom of the body 9. Each transversely extending channel 6 is also provided with a valve controlled by the respective key action whereby the difierent pipes corresponding to this key may be operated, one end of the channel 6 being provided with a vent port 38 at the top and a port 39 at the bottom which latter communicates with the chamber 4 of the wind-chest, a double-acting valve embodying valve heads 40 and 41 being provided, these valve heads being fixed to a common stem 42 and serve respectively to open and close the vent port 38 and the port 39 communicating with the chamber 4, the valve heads operating in unison in a manner to open one port and close the other, and vice versa. Different forms of motors may be used to actuate this valve, that shown embodying a flexible diaphragm 43 which is operatively connected to the stem 42 by a head 44 and its peripheral edge is secured to the top of a body 45, the latter having a chamber 46 adapted to receive air to expand 01' lift the diaphragm, and a spring 47 contained in said chamber normally acts to lift the valve. The body 45 in the present instance is constructed the same as the valve body 31, it having a kerf or slot 48 which forms a passage which communicates With a conduit or tube 49, the latter being adapted to receive air from the key action, and

the bottom of the chamber 46 and the edge of the slot or kerf 48 are preferably closed by a strip of tough paper or other suitable material 50 which is cemented or glued to the bottom and adjacent vertical walls of the body 45. i l

The operation of the construction shown in the present instance may be described briefly as follows: As shown in the drawing, all of the pipes are inoperative, and the stop is shown off, the chamber 4 of the wind-chest containing air at appropriate pressure which acts on the diaphragms and 43 controlled by the stop and key actions, pressing these diaphragms down, and causing'the valve heads 27 and 40 to close the respective vent ports 25 and 38, air pressure in the wind-chest chamber 4 filling both the longitudinal and transverse channels 5 and 6, and this air from such channels will enter the passages 18 and 19, flowing from the latter into the passage formed by the slot or kerf 10 in each body'9, and pressing on the under side of each diaphragm 12, thus causing all of the valves 16 to cover and close the lower ends of the passages 8 leading to the pipes, the air pressure acting on the opposite sides of all the diaphragms of the motors for the pipes being balanced, and the springs 15 serving to hold the valves in closed position. WVhen the stop action is adjusted for any selected set of pipes, air will flow through the conduit 35 into the chamber 82 below the diaphragm 30, the air so admitted balancing the air pressure in the wind-chest chamber 4 and this air pressure below the diaphragm, in conjunction with the spring 83, will lift the valve stem 29, causing the valve head 27 to uncover the vent port 25 and the valve head 28 to cover and close the port 26 which communicates with the chamber 4, the sup ply of air to the channel 5 in the wind-chest being thereb cut off and such air as may be contained in this channel will be exhausted.

When the air is so exhausted from the channel 5, the valve 24 for each pipe will be seated against the port 21, owing to the pressure still acting on these valves from the different channels 6 controlled by the key action, so that although the stop action has been set, no pipe will speak unless the cor responding key action has been operated. When, however, any particular key action is actuated, air will enter the respective chamber 46, acting on the under side thereof to balance the air pressure in the wind-chest, and this air acting on the under side of the diaphragm, in conjunction with the spring 47, will lift the diaphragm and the valve stem 42, causing the valve head 40 to uncover the vent port 38 and simultaneously causing the valve head 41 to cover and close the port 39, thus cutting oil the channel (I from the wind-chest and exhausting the air contained therein to the atmosphere. hen air is exhausted from both the channels and 6, the chamber 11 below the diaphragm 12 will then exhaust and the air under pressure in the chamber 4 of the wind-chest will act on top of the diaphragm 12, forcing the latter downwardly and causing the valve 16 to uncover and open the respective passage 8 leading to the organ pipe, thereby causing the latter to speak, the valve 16 closing immediately upon the venting of the air from the key action, the diaphragm 43 being depressed by the air in the chamber 4 of the windcl1est, causing the valve head 40 to close the atmosphere vent for the channel 6, and causing the valve head 41 to uncover the port 39 whereby the channel 6 is refilled with air from the wind-chest chamber 4. Similarly, when any one of the stop actions is returned to inoperative position, the venting of the air from the conduit 35 permits the air under pressure in the chamber 4 of the wind-chest to act upon and depress the diaphragm 30, causing the valve head 27 to close the vent 25 and the valve head 28 to open the port 26, the channel being thereby refilled with air from the wind-chest chamber 4. It is to be observed, however, that none of the pipe-controlling valves 16 will operate to cause its respective pipe to speak unless air is exhausted from both the channels 5 and 6, for the reason that if air under pressure remains in either of these channels, the double-acting valve 24 will close the other channel and thereby cause the diaphragm 12 to remain in expanded or lifted position.

The present invention provides motors for actuating the organ pipes which may be constructed in units and assembled in the wind-chest according to the number and arrangement of pipes used in the stop section of the organ, enabling the builder to make up and have on hand a supply of parts which may be assembled readily when needed. Preferably, the motors are arranged in rows within the chamber 4 of the wind chest and they are shown secured to the under side of the top 1 thereof. Instead of using pairs of channels which are individualto each row of pipes, single channel 5 may be used, as shown in Fig. 3, which is common to the motors of two adjacent rows.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an. organ, the combination with a wind-chest, of a pipe valve, an actuating motor therefor mounted as a unit on the under side of the top of the wind-chest and ha ing a pair of fluid passages leading therefrom, and a valve mounted to coactuating motor therefor, said key and stop channels communicating therewith, and a valve operative to close either of said channels.

3. In an organ, the combination with a wind-chest having longitudinally and transversely extending key and stop channels formed in the top thereof, of a pipe valve, an actuating motor therefor having a valveactuating diaphragm and a pair of passages leading therefrom to the respective key and stop channels and presenting a pair of opposed ports, and a valve interposed between said ports and capable of closing either of them.

4. In an organ, the combination with a Wind-chest having key and stop channels formed in the top thereof and also having organ pipes mounted on the top thereof, a valve for each pipe, an actuating motor for each pipe valve having a valve-actuating diaphragm, and a pair of fluid passages for controlling the operation thereof, said passages communicating with said key and stop channels and provided with opposed ports, and a valve interposed between said ports and operative to close either of them.

In an organ, the combination with a wind-chest, of a pipe valve and an actuating motor therefor constructed as a unit mounted on the underside of the top of the windchest and comprising a body having a pressure chamber, a slot communicating therewith, and a pair of fluid passages leading from said slot, a diaphragm operative in said chamber and connected to said pipe valve, and a valve positioned in said slot and operative to close either of said passages.

6. In an organ, a valve-actuating motor constructed as a unit and comprising a body having a chamber, valve-actuating diaphragm operative in said chamber, said body being formed with an open slot which extends into said chamber, the body also having a. pair of fluid passages which present opposed ports at the sides of said slot, a valve arranged in the slot and movable in opposite directions to close either of said ports, and a covering applied to the exterior of the body and closing the exposed edge of the slot.

7. In an organ, the combination of a Wind-chest, pipes mounted thereon, key and 'stop channels formed in the top of the windpairs of passages communicating respec'-" tively with said key and stop channels each motor being constructed as a unit and the different units being assembled in the Windchest.

8. In an organ, the combination of a wind-chest having both stop and key channels formed in the top thereof, pipes mounted in the top of the wind-chest, valves individual to the pipes, and motors for actuating said valves, each motor being constructed as a unit separate from the windchest and the different units assembled on the under side of the top thereof in cooperative relation with said channels.

9. In an organ, the combination with a wind-chest of a valve and a motor for actuating said valve constructed as a unit and mounted on the under side of the windchest, said motor comprising a body having a chamber, a passage communicating with said chamber and opposed ports communiea'ting with said passage, a diaphragm arranged to be ac ed on by air in said chamber and operatively connected to said valve, and a double-acting valve operative to close either of said ports,

10. In an organ, the combination of a wind-chest, a pipe valve therein, and 'a motor mounted on the underside of the top of the wind-chest for actuating said valve, said motor comprising a diaphragm connected to said *alvc and subjected at one side to pressure of air in the wind-chest, a slot forming a passage leading to the opposite side of said diaphragm, a pair of opposed ports on opposite sides of and leading to said slot and a flexible flap secured at one end to a wall of said slot and constituting a double-acting valve operative to close either of said ports.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK J. FLAI-IERTY.

Vitnesses ANNA F. BENWAY, A. PERRY MARTIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

